Yeah I read that thread. It seams now that there is the powder that is buffered to a PH of 7. I have to try something as I am loosing Zoas as we speak

How much and what type of Vit C were you dosing? Size of tank?

Has anyone else given this a try?

We were using the powder suggested in the RC thread from iherb that is buffered to 7.0. It was still dropping our PH so it was a constant battle. This was on a 120 gallon, about 150 gallons total. We were following the recipe in the RC thread. Sorry, I don't remember what is off hand.

This was a craze awhile back. There was a never ending thread on it over on RC. I tried it myself and didn't see any changes other than having to battle my PH due to the pills dropping it.

Originally Posted by rosebud161616

We were using the powder suggested in the RC thread from iherb that is buffered to 7.0. It was still dropping our PH so it was a constant battle. This was on a 120 gallon, about 150 gallons total. We were following the recipe in the RC thread. Sorry, I don't remember what is off hand.

Thanks for the info rosebud.

Originally Posted by Manoj's Reef

My 0.02
Buffered vitamin C is nothing but a carbon source. Its a pure carbon source and you have to start on very low doses. It acts in the same way as vodka would do.

If your zoas are melting and dying there might be other issues that you need to fix. Vit C is not a fix.

I would not recommend going that route.

If you have more questions let me know and I can help you out.

Yeah I am not sure what to do here Manoj's. All I know is that for no apparent reason my Zoas are going away. It is weird as not all of my colonies are doing this. The two that are (at this point) are of the same colony but are at the opposite side of the 180 tank.

All of my parameters are in check with the exception of my Phos which is at 0.31PPM I am working on this by use of a Bio Pellet system that has been up for 1 week.

SG 1.024 PH 8.25-8.45 Temp 78 Deg Calc 425 Buff 8-9 Mag 1300 Light cycle is on for a average of 5 hours a day. I dose with Kalkwasser and ocasionally dose buffer when needed. I use BRS buffer that is mixed with RO to do this.

Did your Zoa melting issue coincide with the start of bio-pellets? Do you have elevated Nitrites, or just Phosphates?

Did you start initially with a small amount of pellets?

Calm- My Nitrites are in the 6 ppB (Billion) range and my Phos is at .31 ppm My Nitrates are at around .25-.30 ppm High for sure.

I have had this issue b-4 the use of the bio-pellets. The last time was about 6-10 months ago when I lost a whole colony of X-Men paly's. In total this has happened to me about 4 times now Bio-Pellets: I have taken the total amount needed (4 cups)-devided that by 4 and have been adding each dose (1 cup each) at one week intervals. My PH has been in the range of 8.19 to 8.45 and I have not ever noticed a sharp spike either way.

One interesting thing is that it has happened to me in both my Display tank and 30 gal Frag tank (not at all connected to the Display tank), so whatever it is that is that I am doing wrong, I am doing it to both tanks???

Any Salinity fluctuations? Salt changes? Alkalinity fluctuations? Alk level issues within the listed time frame? How about lights? Type and age of bulb? Flow rate and flow type in tanks? Also if you are doing MB7, many people have noticed a issue with keeping many types of zoas when carbon dosing. Could be you started with one issue, and the MB7 is simply building on that.

I collect PEs, and I'm always looking to trade for ones I don't have yet.

Recommended Links

About CaptiveReefs

If you are interested in learning about reefkeeping or have a problem with your reef, our reefkeeping community is here to help. Feel free to ask a question or search our site. We have lots of experienced reefkeepers that are willing to provide free reefkeeping advice!

Besides being a great resource for all levels of reef aquarium hobbyists, CaptiveReefs is a social experience that will enhance your enjoyment of reefkeeping. CaptiveReefs is committed to connecting reefkeepers with the support and information they need to grow beautiful coral reef aquariums.